3 Times The Rock Inspired Us To Sack Up And Be A Better Man
It’s no secret ’round these parts that we love The Rock. It should be pretty clear why: The guy is awesome AF.
It’s easy to think of masculinity in terms of going HAM 24/7 and being a wall of stoicism that never admits weakness and never feels vulnerable.
That’s cool and all, but in reality, is it really like that? No matter how tough you are, you’re going to get knocked around, and it takes a certain kind of mindset to handle your shit.
Dwayne Johnson gives a voice to that brand of masculinity, and there are a number of times in which The Rock inspired us to reach a little higher, be a litter happier, and to act a little classier.
Let’s run down the ways in which The Rock inspired us to be better men:
1. Being Able To Laugh At Yourself
One of the hallmark traits of insecurity or of a lack of comfort with yourself is the inability to take a joke.
So often, bros out there are so damn serious and try so damn hard to maintain this perception of themselves that they lose their minds over any perceived slight, no matter how minor.
The Rock’s ability to laugh at himself and roll with stuff should help remind you that it’s OK to do the same. I mean, seriously, how embarrassing is this?
2. Picking Yourself Up When You Fall
There’s a prevailing sense that a “real man” just crushes weakness between his jaws and moves on. I’m kinda half in that boat myself, so it’s important to remember that it doesn’t always go down that way in real life.
Sometimes, you get knocked down, and part of you kinda wants to stay down. You second-guess yourself. You lose your focus.
It’s times like these that you really need to rally the troops, dust yourself off, and take a big swing at life’s dumb face.
Consider that The Rock originally wanted to be a pro football player. It didn’t go the way that he thought it would. He moved back in with his parents at age 24. Maybe you’ve have dreams in your life that haven’t gone the way you wanted.
The key is don’t stop there once you hit a wall. Often times, there’s a way over that wall, or in The Rock’s case, there might be something out there that you’re even better at, something you haven’t yet discovered. The Rock inspired us because he didn’t just take it lying down. He fought back, adapted, and persevered.
3. Share In Other People’s Successes, Not Just Your Own
I get it. There are a bunch of douchebags out there. When jerks succeed, it’s annoying. You kind of resent it. So do I. But here’s the thing, there are also a lot of awesome folks out there, too. People that are actually pretty similar to you.
They succeed, too. They battle, too.
By choosing to identify with those people and celebrating their successes as if they were your own, a crazy thing happens: You start deriving joy from their successes. Pretty hard not to say The Rock inspired you with this one:
You want to know the crazy part about all of this?
It’s all mindset stuff. It’s not like this article is filled with this dude crushing boulders. The Rock inspired us because of how he thinks. It’s stuff you can do yourself. It’s all within your reach.
Practice each day being a better human being — laughing at yourself, fighting through obstacles, genuinely being happy for other people. Who knows, you might be the one on our list next time.
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